Giving Poor Kids a Chance at an Elite Education

A growing concern of American’s elite colleges, according to
David Coleman, president of the College Board, is that classes are filled with
predominantly upper class students.
Researchers at Stanford and the University of Virginia decided to
explore whether high achieving, low-income students didn’t apply toselective
colleges because they did not want to or because they did not understand that
they could.

Researchers sent admissions information to 40,000 high
achieving, low-income students during their senior year. Included in the packet was information
regarding admission standards, graduation rates, and financial aid
policies. For the purpose of the
research, application fees were waived if students applied. A control group with similar demographics did
not receive the packets.

Within the control group, researchers report that only 30%
were admitted to a college matching their academic qualifications. Among similar students who received the
packet, 54% were admitted to the most selective colleges. Researchers concluded that there are many
low-income students who are well prepared
for selective colleges and would opt
to attend if they understood the process.

David
Leonhardt, writing in the New York
Times, says that the packets that students received presented the important
information that selective colleges frequently cost less than local colleges
because they have more resources for scholarships. Leonhardt is quick to point out that
low-income students who graduate from less selective colleges still do very
well, but graduation rates from these second or third tier colleges are lower.

While recruiting low-income students will add to the
diversity of the student body, it will also prove more costly to the
universities. However, some feel that
the efforts would resonate with alumni and result in more alumni giving.

One issue that neither Leonhardt nor the researchers
consider is how well low-income students adjust socially to highly selective
colleges. Getting in is one thing;
staying in is another. In my experience
in rural upstate New York, hard working guidance counselors could help bright
kids gain acceptance to selective colleges.
However, often students would drop out or change colleges not because of
the academic challenges, but because of the social disparities they felt. If selective colleges are sincere in wanting
to increase diversity, they need to help students adjust socially as well. Not every student at 18, however bright, can
negotiate the social systems without guidance and a strong network of support.